Larry Devich
Friday, March 16, 2007
Friday of Lent 3 - Pentecost and the Early Church
Read: Acts 2:1-47
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about
three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
(Acts 2:41-42)
Ten days after Jesus ascends into heaven, the disciples are gathered in
Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost; and, like the Passover fifty days before, the
city is teeming with faithful pilgrims who have journeyed to the temple. While
they are gathered together, there's the sound of a loud, rushing wind and tongues
of fire appear above their heads: the Holy Spirit has arrived as promised. The
disciples then proceed to preach to the crowds outside, speaking in different
tongues so that each hears the Word in his own language. (Pentecost is the
reversal of the Tower of Babel, Gen. 11:1-9. Where man's sin led to separate
languages and division, the Gospel is proclaimed in all sorts of tongues to gather
sinners to their Savior.)
Part of Peter's sermon is recorded in Acts 2, and he tailors it to the audience:
his hearers are the true believers, the ones who would journey from home to
Jerusalem for Passover, then return 50 days later. They do so because they
believe that God will someday send the Christ, and they know the Old
Testament well. So Peter speaks of Jesus, declaring Him to be the Messiah
promised by God. Then he preaches the Law: he tells these people, earnestly
waiting for the Christ, that the Christ has already come—and they killed Him!
The people, cut to the heart, reply, “What shall we do?” And what does Peter
say? “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For
the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many
as the Lord our God will call.”
Many hear the Word that day, and about 3000 are baptized. This is exactly
how Jesus said disciples would be made in Matthew 28:19-20! Furthermore,
what follows? The new disciples continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine—
they continue to hear the Word of the Lord which He has sent the apostles to
teach. And they continue in fellowship, in the breaking of bread: in other
words, they continue to celebrate the Holy Communion.
While many today are prone to think that Pentecost is a rather un-Lutheran
festival as the Spirit gets things going, we find it to be quite the opposite. It is
true that, on a typical Sunday morning, one will not find loud rushing winds and
tongues of fire during the Divine Service; hence, I have heard it concluded
before that Lutherans aren't very “spiritual” or “spirit-filled.” But I'm not ready
to concede the point. True, Lutherans are short on tongues of fire and loud
rushing winds—but Jesus never promised to be present with grace in those
phenomena. On the other hand, we still rejoice to have the Lord's Word and
sacraments as the centerpieces of worship, just as they were in the early Church
on Pentecost and following days. Though no more sensational than, say, a
manger, it is there that Jesus is for you. ¶ 3/16/2007 01:00:00 PM 0 Comments
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about
three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
(Acts 2:41-42)
Ten days after Jesus ascends into heaven, the disciples are gathered in
Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost; and, like the Passover fifty days before, the
city is teeming with faithful pilgrims who have journeyed to the temple. While
they are gathered together, there's the sound of a loud, rushing wind and tongues
of fire appear above their heads: the Holy Spirit has arrived as promised. The
disciples then proceed to preach to the crowds outside, speaking in different
tongues so that each hears the Word in his own language. (Pentecost is the
reversal of the Tower of Babel, Gen. 11:1-9. Where man's sin led to separate
languages and division, the Gospel is proclaimed in all sorts of tongues to gather
sinners to their Savior.)
Part of Peter's sermon is recorded in Acts 2, and he tailors it to the audience:
his hearers are the true believers, the ones who would journey from home to
Jerusalem for Passover, then return 50 days later. They do so because they
believe that God will someday send the Christ, and they know the Old
Testament well. So Peter speaks of Jesus, declaring Him to be the Messiah
promised by God. Then he preaches the Law: he tells these people, earnestly
waiting for the Christ, that the Christ has already come—and they killed Him!
The people, cut to the heart, reply, “What shall we do?” And what does Peter
say? “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For
the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many
as the Lord our God will call.”
Many hear the Word that day, and about 3000 are baptized. This is exactly
how Jesus said disciples would be made in Matthew 28:19-20! Furthermore,
what follows? The new disciples continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine—
they continue to hear the Word of the Lord which He has sent the apostles to
teach. And they continue in fellowship, in the breaking of bread: in other
words, they continue to celebrate the Holy Communion.
While many today are prone to think that Pentecost is a rather un-Lutheran
festival as the Spirit gets things going, we find it to be quite the opposite. It is
true that, on a typical Sunday morning, one will not find loud rushing winds and
tongues of fire during the Divine Service; hence, I have heard it concluded
before that Lutherans aren't very “spiritual” or “spirit-filled.” But I'm not ready
to concede the point. True, Lutherans are short on tongues of fire and loud
rushing winds—but Jesus never promised to be present with grace in those
phenomena. On the other hand, we still rejoice to have the Lord's Word and
sacraments as the centerpieces of worship, just as they were in the early Church
on Pentecost and following days. Though no more sensational than, say, a
manger, it is there that Jesus is for you. ¶ 3/16/2007 01:00:00 PM 0 Comments
